Notes / Commercial Description:
Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale is our homage to the craft and heritage of America’s brewers. Recipes calling for the use of pumpkins in beer date back to early colonial times, when brewers sought to extend their supply of costly imported malt with locally grown ingredients, such as squash and “pompions.”

In that spirit, we brew our ale with the addition of pumpkin to the mash, along with traditional spices to create a delicious American original.

Reviews by dmarch:

Orange-amber in color with a thin lace. Spicy aroma, lots of ginger and cloves. Much of the same in the taste. Very good mix of spices. They're obvious, but not overpowering. Very sweet, like pumpkin pie, but not so sweet that it makes in undrinkable. One of the better pumpkin ales I have experienced.

More User Reviews:

Minimally hazed, bright pumpkin skin orange topped by a thick cap of creamy ivory foam. The lazily pitting surface gives way slowly with a gentle crackling noise and leaves delicate, yet chunky scraps of lace that bleed into broken sheets extending downward to the surface of the beer.

I hope that the flavor follows the nose exactly. Pumpkin Ale strikes me as a near perfect combination of beer, pumpkin and spice and is easily the best pumpkin ale nose of the half dozen or so that I've encountered. Nutmeg and allspice are especially prevalent.

More aggressively flavored than most pumpkin ales, a definite positive in my eyes. The spice load is significant, but stops well short of too much. There are solid amber ale underpinnings with a firm malty backbone that acts as the framework on which the bitter hops (readily apparent thankfully), the pumpkin puree and the spices can weave their magic. If nutmeg is still king, cinnamon is now prince.

A pleasant sweetness appears late, but doesn't come close to eclipsing the bitter hoppiness that reigns on the finish, as well as during the beginning and middle. The mouthfeel is nicely firm with a well contained, though still lively, amount of carbonation.

Smuttynose Pumpkin is the best pumpkin ale to have yet crossed my lips. This brewery brews good-great beer and this particular seasonal is simply further evidence of that fact. I seriously doubt that I'll ever find a better pumpkin beer. Thanks to far333 for the bottle.

Had this on tap at the Drafting Room in Spring House,poured a medium orange/gold color with a light but sticky head,aroma was strong of cinnamon and nutmeg just like opening a jar of cinnamon.The taste was not so over the top a more subtle pumpkin flavor with the spices also being more subdued a light hop bitternes lingers pretty well.I think a real nice pumpkin offering here.

On the spot review. I saw this one in a new beer store I haven't been to before. They were getting rid of old stock pumpkin ales, never saw this one before and for $14 I absolutely had to give it a try. The guy behind the counter said it was great and he liked it along with another that was alongside of it. Here goes....

Look: Poured into my duvel goblet, its orange hued, like many other pumpkin ales I have tried, 1 finger head which slowly fades away. Nice looking, not cloudy, looks like a very fine beer.

Smell: A typical good smelling pumpkin ale. Not sweet like Pumking, not dull like Buffalo Bill's. Smells a little similar to Southampton. Definitely pumpkin in here, no mistake about it. Little nutmeg, too.

Taste: I was fearing this would be dull, watery and boring like Buffalo Bill's or other cheaper pumpkin ales. Surprisingly this wasn't watery at all. I got a hops taste from the start which followed the pumpkin taste. It is definitely a beer and not a watery one but the hops presence isn't bad. It just reminds you that you are drinking a beer. This is very drinkable. Absolutely not at the caliber of Pumking or Whole Hog but this is decent. Not the best, but definitely not the worst.

Feel: smooth, crisp, very drinkable, no dry mouth feel, no bitterness, pretty much an idea beer. Right in the middle between sweet and bitter.

Overall: I can't complain, yes Pumking and Whole Hog ruined me for all other pumpkin ales and they are my 2 favorites and I hated Buffalo Bill's watery pumpkin water. This one is similar to southampton but with more pumpkin flavor and more hops, as I said, reminding you that you are still drinking a beer and not watered down crap. This is very drinkable, don't let my review dissuade you in any way, I do prefer a dessert beer and Pumking is my absolute favorite with the sweetness, creaminess, buttery pie crust, nutmeg, spicy goodness... but this as I said is great for a nice chilly evening watching a movie or tv shows and for someone that wants what the title delivers, a pumpkin ale.

If the people of this site were to properly rate beers to the style, this would score much higher. It's one of my favorites because it doesn't taste like fake pumpkin or massive amounts of spice. It's beer that tastes like the earthy, squashy qualities of a pumpkin. Refreshing and good on a cool night.

Great lively orange color, spiced but not sweet smell, taste is similar to the smell with a slightly bitter end, the consistency of the beer feels as if pumpkin was used in the brewing not just pie spices.

Drinking this out of the bottle. Main smell here is earthy with subtle pumpkin and spice. Take one sip of this beer and my mouth is attacked by bitterness. not something i expect from a pumpkin ale. After having Pumpking a few days ago this brew tasted like i was drinking battery acid. I immediately thought i bought a bad batch but the Best before date was Dec 2011. Seems like this beer tries to be a pumpkin ale and an IPA but doesnt get either right. If i want a piney, hoppy bitter I'll reach for an IPA. Im surprised by the high grade this beer received but to each their own.

Smuttynose brews their pumpkin ale with "real" pumpkin puree and does not list it as a mystery "natural flavor" like some of the bigger brewers. As we've mentioned, brewing with pumpkins is not a new fad. Brewers back in the colonial days brewed with pumpkins as well as other ingredients due to the high price of imported malt.

Hey everyone, we have another epic head here. We see this just as much as a blue moon on Monday. The crown of lace that clings to the glass is absolutely amazing. Bright and clear and orangey in color. Big sniff of powdery allspice with cinnamon being the dominant spice. Toasted malt and a hint of fruity yeast in the back of the nose. More than enough hop bitterness to go around with an earthy herbal flavor, both never go overboard. Toasted malt is the next layer with a dried grass flavor, spicing drops a mingling of nutmeg and cinnamon while the subtle pumpkin flavor rides up against a warming and very mild estery alcohol. Finishes with a hop note of herbs and bitterness, spice and a drying grain.

This is a beer drinker's beer when it comes to pumpkin ales. The flavor profiles are brimming with simple complexities from the spice, hops and pumpkin and just enough malt to hold the foundation of this beer together. So flavorful it would overshadow a plain turkey dinner.

Was disappointed in this Pumpkin Ale. More notes of cinnamon than pumpkin. Finish is def more bitter than I was expecting. Having had Pumking before this brew the bar was set pretty high. Will enjoy the remainder of the 6 pack but wont be buying this again.

Had this in a recent beer tasting dinner. This went well with the appetizer of ham croquettes and bitterballen. The beer was a dark amber with a medium white head. Aroma was pumpkin pie spice and grain. The pumpkin came through in the taste, as did the (mostly cinnamon) spice. A pleasant enough beer, I just wouldn't want to make a steady diet of it.

Pours a sightly cloudy pumpkin-orange color with a tan head and spotty lacing.
Very nice aroma on this beer. Lots of pumpkin, clove and cinnamon.
A tatsy pumkin ale for sure. I get cinnamon up front with plenty of pumpkin right behind. It finishes with a nice hoppy bitterness and a very pleasant pumpkin aftertaste.
Mouthfeel is medium and smooth.
Overall, one of the better pumpkin beers I've had.

2004 edition. Deep orange amber with a cream colored head that dissipates rather rapidly. The aroma is like what those New England backroad converted barn country stores smell like - all warm and spicy (emphasis on cloves and nutmeg, maybe a cinnamon broom in there somewhere) - mixed with some toasty malt. Very enticing.

Starts with a bitter spice note on the tongue - ever lick a nutmeg or a clove? - then the pumpkin comes in. Amazing - a pumpkin ale where you can actually taste the pumpkin! then the toasty malt comes in along with a hop bitterness (distinct from the spiciness at the beginning). Finishes magnificently - drink a Shoals Pale Ale after a big old forkful of pumpkin pie and get the same effect. Hops, malt, pumpkin, spice... What I really like about this beer is how the spices, pumpkin fruit, and malt/hops all play nice together. The mouthfeel is a slight bit fizzy but otherwise in character. Couldn't drink a lot of them now, but that may change when the temperature drops a few degrees.